Car-seal.



No. 648,565. Patented May I, I900.

I E. S. JONES.

CAR SE-AL.

(Application filed May 8, 11899.) (No Model.)

m: NORRIS PETiRS cu, PHu'rouTHQ, WASHINGTON n. a

n'rrsn STATES PATENT OFFIC EDWIN S. JONES, DE WITT, IOWA.

CAR-SEAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 648,565, dated May 1, 1900.

Application filed May 6, 1899- Serial No. 715,899. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN S. JONES, a citizen of the United States, residing atDe Witt, in the county of Clinton, State of Iowa, have invented a new, improved, and useful Railway Freight-Oar-Door Seal, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to seals for cardoors and the like, and has for one object to provide an improved device which may be readily applied to the staple or keeper of a lock and which is destroyed or damaged by the opening of the door, so as to effectually indicate that the latter has been previously opened.

A further object is to form the seal from a.

single blank of pliable metal and without the employment of any separate parts, so that there may be no danger of looseness or loss of such parts and also to permit of a plurality of seals being packed in a comparatively small space for storage or transportation and finally to provide for the convenient folding of the blank into a completed seal when it is desired to apply the latter to a lock.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a seal constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the blank from which the seal is formed. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the blank partly folded in the formation of the seal. Fig. at is an edge elevation of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the completed seal. Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view similar to Fig. 5 and showing the outer end of the pocket pressed together to secure the free end of the tongue.

Corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings are designated by like characters of reference.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates the blank from which the seal is formed, which comprises a flat strap of pliable metal having at one end the laterally-projecting wings 2 and 3. These wings are substantially oblong in shape and project in opposite directions from the opposite longitudinal edges of the strap and form a substantiallysquare end therefor. The wing 3 is provided with a substantially L-shaped incision 4, which extends inwardly from the outer edge of the wing and then toward the opposite end of the strap, so as to form a spring-tongue 5, which is bent outwardly from the wing. At the inner end of the wing 3 there is provided a longitudinally-disposed tongue 6, which is formed by a continuation of the wing and is separated from the adj acentlongitudinal edge of the strap by means of a longitudinal slot or incision 7. The free extremity of this tongue is bent into a substantially V-shaped catch 8, which projects at one side of the tongue and in a directionopposite to that of the lip 5. pleted seal, the wing 3 is bent inwardly and folded along the dotted line 0 0, so as to over lap the adjacent side of the strap, andthen the opposite wing 2 is bent inwardly upon the same side of the strap, so as to embrace the outer side of the wing 3. As best indicated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, it will be seen that the spring-tongue 5 engages the adjacent inner side of the strap, so as to space the wing 3 therefrom, and the combined wings, together with the adjacent portion of the strap, form a pocket which is open at its opposite ends. The tongue 6 is then bent outwardly across the outer face of the exterior wing 2, and the free end of the tongue is rebent and inserted into the outer open end of the pocket, so that the spring-catch 8 may frictionally engage the opposite walls of the pocket, and thereby prevent accidental displacement of the tongue while the latter is being secured in place as, for instance, by striking or otherwise compressing the tongue and the wings against the body of the seal, whereby the tongue cannot be removed without breaking the latter at the bend thereof. By this arrangement the wings 2 and 3 are elfectually held together and a strong and durable pocket is formed.

To form this blank into a com- When it is desired to apply the seal to a l0ck,the free end of the strap is passed through vthe staple or keeper and then bent rearwardly,

so thatit may be introduced into the ad a- I cent inner open end of the pocket, which is formed at the opposite end of the strap.,ithe free extremity of the latter h-avingbeenpreviously bent upon itself to form a catch 9,

which engages with the spring-tongue5, so" as to prevent accidental withdrawal of the free end of thestrap. It will now be appar= ent that to open the door the seal must first 5 be removed, which will result in destroying or damaging both the pocket and the catch 9,

which willindicate that the door has been previously opened.

From the foregoing description it will 1. Aseal, comprising a strap, provided with a pocket having one or more open ends, and formed by opposite inwardly-folded wings, and a tongue folded to embrace the wings, and having its free end secured within one open end of the pocket, and means for securing the free end of the strap within one open end of the pocket.

2. Aseal, comprisinga strap, provided with a pocket which is open at its opposite inner and outer ends, and is formed by opposite inwardly-folded wings,and a tongue folded to embrace the wings, and having its free end secured within one of the open ends of the pocket, and means for securing the free end of the strap within the opposite open end of the pocket. 7

3. A seal, comprisingastrap, provided with a pocket, which is formed by opposite inbe seen that the present seal is formed from a single blank of metal and has no separate wardly-folded wings, anda tongue carried by one of the wings, folded to embrace both of the wings, and having its ,free end secured within the pocket, and means 'for securing the free end of the strap within the pocket.

,,A sealcomprising a strap, provided with a pocket, which is'open at its opposite inner and outer ends, and is formed by opposite inwardlyfolded wings, and a tongue carried by theinner end of the inner wing and folded outwardly to embrace both wings, the free end of the tongue being secured within the Quteropen end of the pocket, and means for securing the free end of the strap within the inner open end of the pocket. d

v 5. Aseal, comprising a'strap,provided with a pocket, which is open at its opposite ends, and formed vby opposite inwardly-folded wings, and a tongue carried at the inner end of the inner wing and'folded acrossthe outer side of the outer wing, the free extremity of the tongue being formed intoa spring-catch tongue within the pocket, and a fastening device for securing the free end of the strap within the adjacent inner end of the pocket.

6. A-blank for a seal,-coinprisinga flat pliable metallic strap, having opposite wings located at one end thereof and projecting out- I wardlyin opposite directions "from the respective longitudinal edges of the strap, one of the wings being provided with a substantially L-shaped incision, which extends inwardly from the outer edge of the wing and then toward the opposite end of the strap, the inner end of the latter wing being extended longitudinally toward the opposite end of the strap, to form a tongue, which is separated from the adjacent edge of the strap, by a slot or incision. I

E. S. JONES.

Witnesses:

CHAS. FORBES, PATRICK CAVANAGH. 

